Veneer cutting lathe and log centering means



March 2, 1954 D. E. HERVEY 2,670,7 72

VENEER CUTTING LATHE AND LOG CENTERING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1946 5Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR. D. E. HERVEY ATTOR NEY March 2, 1954 D. E. HERVEY VENEERCUTTING LATHE ANDLOG CENTERING MEANS Filed Aug. '21, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOR. -D. E. HERVEY ATTO RNEY March 2, 1954 D. E. HERVEY 2,670,772

VENEER CUTTING LATHE AND LOG CENTERING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1946 5Shets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR. D. E. HERVEY ATTOR N EY March 2, 1954 D. E.HERVEY VENEER CUTTING LATHE AND LOG CENTERING MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed Aug. 21, 1946 INVENTOR.

D. E. HERVEY ATTORNEY March 2, 1954 D. E. HERVEY 2,670,772

VENEER CUTTING LATHE AND LOG CENTERING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1 946 5Sheets-Sheet, 5

INVENTOR. D. E. HERVEY ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1954 VENEER CUTTINGLATHE AND LOG CENTERINQ MEANS David E. Hervey, on Fort, N. 0., assignorto Hervey Foundation,-. Incorporated, a corporation of MarylandApplication August 21, 1946, Serial No. 691,919

This invention relates to the manufacture of wood veneer andparticularly to an improved method of and improved apparatus forhandling the veneer material from the rough logs to the finished veneersheets.

According to present practice the lathe centers of the logs from whichthe veneer is to be out are located by rough manual measurement or byestimation on the part of the lathe operator. The first. method is timeconsuming and materially reduces the capacity of the veneer lathe andboth methods are extremely wasteful of wood since any eccentricity ofthe major cylinder of a log pro duces a large number of small pieces ofveneer having irregular edges. Such small pieces must be eitherdiscarded or heavily trimmed in order to salvage a relatively smallportion. Such waste from improper centering of the logs in the lathe mayrun as high as twenty per cent or more of usable wood and the loss oftime may reduce the production of the lathe more than ten per cent belowits optimum capacity.

Barking of the logs is also a laborious and time consuming operation atpresent. As the logs are moved from the woods to the mill they aredragged and piled on the ground with the result that the barkaccumulates a quantity of grit and stone particles such that the veneercutting blade cannot be used to remove the bark as the edge of thisblade must be maintained at razor-like sharpness. It is therefore thepresent practice to remove the bark with hand tools in a separateoperation.

Difficulty is also experienced under. the present practice in stackingand clipping the veneer sheets produced by the veneer cutting lathe. In

' most veneer making apparatus a single conveyor leads from the lathetoward a clipping machine.

. .This conveyor either handles one sheet at a time or individual sheetsare hand stacked on it. From This operation is so time to reduce thestock of veneer sheets before the clipper. The pressure on theclipperman to try to keep up with the lathe also results in wastage of alarge amount of usable veneer and in poor matching of the smaller piecesof veneer sheet. The present method also fails to provide for anysegregation of the veneer according to quality of the wood or thicknessof the veneer, or according to species when mixed logs are supplied tothe lathe.

. As exemplified above, the handling of the ma- 8 Claims. (Cl. 144-209)ful of time, labor and material.

terial in a veneer mill is at present unduly waste- A great deal ofattention has been given to this matter and important' improvements havebeen made in specific items of equipment, such as the lathes andclippers, conveyors and storage racks. Little has :been

heretofore accomplished, however, in facilitating apparatus efiective tosubstantially automatically center the logs in the veneer cutting latheon the centers of the respective major cylinders of the logs,mechanically remove the bark from the centered logs without dulling theveneer cutting blade, and prepare logs for cutting veneer by cutting offprotrusions of wood, and stack the veneer sheets in separate pilesaccording to a desired segregation schedule.

Another object resides in the provision of an improved veneermanufacturing method effective to reduce loss of time and waste ofmaterial in converting logs into properly trimmed veneer sheets.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view of veneer manufacturing apparatusillustrative of the invention;

Fig. 2 a top plan view of a veneer cutting lathe showing the applicationthereto of an improved log centering device;

Fig. 3, an elevational view of a fragmentary portion of one end. of thelathe, the lathe bed being shown in section;

Fig. 4, a top plan view on an enlarged scale of a fragmentary portion ofthe lathe shown in Fig.

' 2 showing the means of supporting and operating the log centeringmechanism;

Fig. 5, a detailed view ofa hinge mounting for a log supporting anglebracket;

Fig. 6; ahelevational view of a log supporting angle bracket, a portionbeing broken away and shown in section to better illustrate theconstruction thereof;

Fig. 7, a top plan view of the angle bracket 7 shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8, an elevational view of an angle bracket showing an insertadapted to be applied thereto to compensate the bracket for taperedlogs; k

Fig. 19, a vi,ew similar to, Fig. B With the ,insert :at the dischargeside thereof.

operatively associated with the angle bracket;

Fig. 9a, an elevational view of a modified form of angle bracket;

Fig. 10, a sectional view on the line Iili of Fig. 9;

Fig. 10a, a sectional view on the line lflaia of Fig. 19c;

Fig. 11, a somewhat'diagrammatic elevational view of a veneer cuttinglathe and associated log debarking mechanism;

Fig. 12, a transverse sectional view on the .line I2l2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13, a detailed view showing the construction at one end of the logdebarking kni-feshown' in Fig. 11;

Fig. 14, an end view of a veneer moving conveyor showing mechanism fordischarging veneer pieces at the opposite sides of the conveyor;

Fig. 15, a side elevational view of the endportion of the conveyor shownin Fig. 14;

Fig. 16, a detail view showing the construction of the side dischargingmeansfor the veneer .pieces;

Fig. 17, a diagrammatic wiring diagram for the mechanism whichdischarges the veneerpieces from the conveyor, and

Fig. 18, a somewhat diagrammatic cross sectional view of asupport for anadjustable control switch for the conveyor discharge means.

With continued reference to the drawings and particularly to Fig.1,:logs 9, cut to proper length, are transferred from a storage area it!to the veneer cutting :lathe :generally indicated at H. The logs arecentered in the lathe so that the axis of the .major right cylinder ofeach log is substantially coincident with the axis of rota- :tion of thelathe spindles. The lathe spindles are then engaged with the log andwhile the .log is turned in the lathe the debarking mechanism,

generally indicated at 1.2, is brought into contact with the surface ofthe log and substantially all of the bark is removed from the log. Aveneer cutting knife is then brought into contact with the'log @andaveneer sheet, as indicated .at i 3, is peeled from the log and fed ontothe conveyor, generally indicated at 14. Veneer pieces are dischargedfromthe conveyor onto suitable surfaces "such .as the platforms of cartspositioned adjacent the conveyor. In :the arrangement illustrated inFig. 1, five discharge or unloading carts or stations areprovided,as'indicated at 15, i8, H, H! and 19. :In the remainder of the drawings,however, only three such discharge stations are provided in order-tosimplify the drawings and description, it being understood thatadditional stations may be added if desired.

In Fig. 1,-three control switches 52! 2! and 22 are shown :forselectively discharging the veneer pieces to three stations disposed oneat each side of the conveyor and one at the outer end of the conveyor.These switches are located so that they are convenient to the latheoperator, who usually stands near one end of the lathe As the veneersheet leaves the lathe the operator observes 'its condition and breaksout imperfections such as knots and decayed places in the wood and alsobreaks the sheet to provide pieces of convenient length for handling. Healso notes the type of veneer, such as the species of wood from which itis cut, and the thickness and operates the mined schedule based onquality, species, thickness, or other factors which it may be desiredswitchesJZB, 2i and-22 to stack thepiecesof veneer "in separate stacksaccording to some predeterto use as a basis for segregation of theveneer pieces, for example, he may desire to stack veneer piecesexceeding a certain minimum length on the side stacks and stack theshorter pieces in a stack at the outer end of the conveyor.

The carts provided for receiving the veneer pieces from the conveyor mayconveniently have smooth, flat platforms provided along one side and atthe ends with upstanding stakes 23 to hold the veneer pieces in evenstacks. the side adjacent the conveyor being left unobstructed, and apair of wheels 24 located under the center portion of the platform sothat the carts may be moved to and away from the conveyor when desired.Single end wheels (not shown) may also be provided to support the cartplatforms in a substantially level condition.

The veneer cutting lathe, as particularly illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and4, has a bed 25 mounted on a suitable base or foundation 26 and a pairaofendh0usings2l and ZBsupported on the end portions of the bed 25. Theend housing '21 carries a rotatable log engaging spindle '29 and the endhousing 23 carries 'a simiiarzspindle 39, the spindles being mountedupon suitable drive shafts journalled in the end housings. A lathedriving motor provided outside of the lathe and is coupled to thespindle shafts through suitable clutch means, gear trains and connectingdrive shafts in a manner known to the art, hence not illustrated.

A screw shaft 3! supported on the end :housing 2? and preferably has;-its axis .a substantially horizontal plane passing through the axis ofrotation of the spindles 2S and 38 and in a substantially vertical planeperpendicular to the :spinfle axis. ,A similar screw shaft 232 iscarried by the end housing 28. The screw shafts are driven from thelathe mechanism by suitable :drive means including the bevel gears 33and .34 on the ends of the respective screw shafts.

An elongated internally threaded sleeve or nut 35 is threaded onto theshaft 31 and .a similar sleeve or nut as is threaded onto the shaft 32.A pressure bar 2;? extends between the screw shafts 3i and .52 and issecured at its ends to the nuts and .36 so that the-pressure bar :ismoved toward or away from the spindle axis of the lathe "when the 'screwshafts are driven. .A veneer cutting knife 38 is carried by the pressurebar which also carries or includes a rounded nose portion 39 which bearsagainst the surface of the .log immediately above the knife to controlthe thickness or" the veneer sheet removed from the log by the knife.The distance between the edge ofzthe knife 38 and the pressure nose 39can be adjusted to control the thicknessof the veneer sheet and theratio between. the speed of the knife feed :into :the log and thespeedof rotation of the log can alsohe adjusted to maintain asubstantially uniform pressure of the pressure nose 39 on the surface ofthe log. The rotationalspeed-of the logtmay be controlled by a lever 46and the knife feed may be controlled by a plurality of speed adjustinglevers or buttons ii located on top of the end housing '2? andcontrolling suitable goal trains within the end housings. This controlis obtained in a conventional manner by a speed change type oftransmission enclosed in housing 21 and therefore is not shown indetail-to avoid unnecessary prolixity.

The pressure bar 3? may be manually tilted to remove the pressure barnose 39 from the 'wardly curved lower end portion 66.

- presently become apparent.

wood and the knife feed drive may also be manually discontinued whendesired so that bark may be removed in a separate operation from a logturned in the lathe.

Screw shafts 42 and 43 are mounted at the opposite side of the spindleaxis from the respective screw shafts 3i and 32 and have their axes inor parallel to vertical planes including the axes of the shafts 3i and32. The shafts'42 and 43-are preferably inclined downwardly :at an angleof approximately to the horizontal and have their lower ends journalledin respective bearings 44 and 45 mounted on the lathe bed 25. At theirupper ends the screw shafts 42 and 43 are rotatably supported by journalmeans connected to the respective spindle shaft bosses 46 and 41 andcarry respective bevel gears 48 and 59. The gears 43 and 49 meshrespectively with idler gears 50 and 5| mounted on extensions providedon the spindle boss caps and these idler gears also mesh with bevelgears 52 and 53 secured respectively on the inner ends of the screwshafts 5! and 32. By this arrangement, the shafts 42 and 43 are rotatedsimultaneously with the knife feed shafts 3i and 32. Although the shafts42 and 43 are somewhat longer than the shafts 3i and 32 and are inolinedat an angle to the axes of the knife feed screw shafts, the thread pitchon the shafts 42 and 43 is such that internally screw threadedsleeves ornuts 5 3 and mounted on these shafts move in synchronism with the nuts35 and 35 on the shafts 3i and 32. The nuts 54 and 55 are provided withrespective arms or extensions 59 and 51 having their outer endsconnected to the end portions of a shaft 58. A carriage 59 extendsacross the lathe between screw shafts 42 and 43 and shaft 58 partiallysupports said carriage, being secured thereto by suitable means such ascaps 6 I.

The carriage is secured at its forward edge to a second transverse shaft52 the ends of which carry cam followers, such as ball bearings,received in the trackways of respective cam or guide members 63 and Elisecured to the inner sides of the end housings 2'! and 28.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the cam member 63 has a straight intermediateportion merging at its upper end into a downwardly curved upper endportion and at its lower end into an up- The cam or track member 64 isnot shown in detail in the drawingbut is similar in shape andconstruction to the member 63, shown in Fig. 3. The movement of nuts 35and 35 and 54 and cam followers on the ends of shaft 62 enter thedownwardly extending portions 65 of the tracks -63 and 64 and theforwarder leading edge of the carriage 59 is tilted downwardly. On theother hand, when the nuts.5 l and 55 approach 'the lower ends of thecorresponding screw shafts the cam followers on shaft E2 enter theupwardly curved end portions 65 of the tracks and the rear or followingedge of the carriage 59 is tilted downwardly relative to the leadingedge. The purpose for thus .tilting the carriage 5t will The upper.surface of the carriage 59 is prostantially automatic.

vided with a pair of parallel longitudinally extending grooves orguideways 61 and '68, preferably of T-shaped or dovetailed crosssection. Two pairs of slide blocks 69 and 10 are slidably mounted inthese guideways and carry respective angle brackets II and 12. Theseangle brackets, for example the angle bracket H illustrated in Figs. 8,9, and 10, have two arms 13 and 14 disposed at right angles to eachother, the arm 13 normally being substantially vertical and the arm 14substantially horizontal.

pair of slide blocks 69 by a pair of hinge joints 15, particularlyillustrated in Fig. 5. These hinge joints are so constructed as toprovide radial shoulders or stops [6 and H disposed at to each other,the shoulder 76 being effective to maintain the corresponding anglebracket 1! in an upright position and the shoulder IT being effective tosupport the angle bracket in a substantially horizontal position when itis folded over, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 5;

In order to accommodate logs of a maximum desired diameter, it isnecessary for the arms of the angle brackets to be sufficiently long tocontact the surface of such a maximum diameter log at points spaced 90apart on the circumference of the log. With arms of this maximum length,the lower or horizontal arms of the angle brackets might interfere withthe lower edge of the veneer cutting knife or the knife holding bracketwhen the pressure bar 31 and carriage' 53 are moved to their innermostpositions relative to the axis of the lathe spindles. It is necessarythat the carriage 59 move at all times in constant relationship to themovement-of the pressure bar 3? so that these two elements will alwayscooperate in the log centering operation. However, by tilting theforward edge of the carriage 5ildownwardly as the carriage passes theposition at which it centers a log of minimum diameter in the lathe, theends of the horizontal arms of the angle brackets are moved downwardlyand backwardly during the last part of the carriage movement and hencewill have no tendency to interfere with the veneer cutting knife or theknife bracket.

When the carriage is tilted in the opposite .backwardly toward ahorizontal position to fa'- cilitate the placing of logs in the anglebrackets.

The centering of logs in the lathe is sub-.-

With the carriage 59 in its lowermost position, a log is placed in theangle brackets H and 12 and the lathe put into operation, Thecorresponding screw shafts are then rotated moving the pressure bar 3?inwardly toward the lathe spindle axis and at the same time moving thecarriage 59 with the angle ,brackets and the log supported therebytoward the spindle axis. The relative movement of the pressure bar andthe carriage is such that-when the pressure bar contacts the log thelo-gwill be centered relative to the spindle axis and the spindles may thenbe engaged in the log so that it may be turned by the lathe. Thepressure bar andthe carriage are then moved back from the log while thebark is being removed from the'log .and after the bark has-been removedthe rotation of the screw shafts is resumed moving the pressure plateand the carriage again toward the spindle axis of the lathe. Beforerotation of the screw shafts is resumed the angle brackets may be foldeddownso that they will not touch the The lower or horizontal arm 14 issecured to the corresponding comm moves upwardly and inwardly the shafts42 and 534 "The tilting of the carriage in the upper portion of itsrange of movement prevents the horizontal :arms of the angle bracketsfrom striking the lower edge of ,the 'veneer icutting knife or itssupporting 111cmzber. However, the angle brackets may be left erect iaoserve as steady rests during veneer utting operation.

During the :debarking operation :the neutering brackets H .and i2'ai'eifolded downalong carriage so thatithey will not interferewith thisoperation.

After the log has been placed in the angle ibrackets while in theirbackwardly tilting :condition movement of the cam followers ithrough'athe upwardly curved lower end portions of the tracks 52 and 63tilts'thc angle brackets upwardly Z170 their normal condition in whichthe arms 33, M are substantially vertical and horizontal.

As'it-is onlyoccasionally-thata logof maximum diameter "is encountered,it may he "found deisirable to ordinarily use angle brackecs havinghorizontal legs shorter than that necessary to support a maximumdiameter log and to provide a i a detachable extension for eachhorizontal leg for :use when such logs are encountered. Such :aconstruction is illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein .fihe horizontal arm 110, is provided at its outer end with an enlargement '13 having thereina :well or recess "l9 to receive a tongue 8%? on an end of an armextension 8!. By the detachable extension 8 l arm Mu may be lengthenedwhen necessary to accommodate a log of a size which the arm without theextension wil -no't fit.

:A good many logs from which veneer is out are tapered from onecnd totheo-ther so that a pair of similar angle brackets operating at the samelevel would not accurately center both ends of the log. Since it isdesirable to center the log on the centers "of its maximum rightcylinder in order to obtain "the greatest amount of usable veneer, thepresent machine provides means by the use of which both ends of the logmay be occurately ccntered. Such means may conveniently comprise anangle bracket extension, such as is illustrated "in 8 and 9 andgenerally indicated'at B2. In "this case, theinner edges of thcanglebracket-arms "13 and H are provided with'longitudinal grooves 83 and 84,the groove in the "arm 1-3 preferably being of T- or doveta-ihshapedcross section, as is particularly illustrated in the enlargedviewshowninFig. "'7.

Theextcnsion 3-2 has two arms-35 and B-Bat'right r angles to each otherand these arms are provided along their outer edges with integral"tongues 8? and 88 respectively. The tongue 8! means, the extension"maybe slid into place from thetop of the vertical arm "13 of the anglebracket and will be firmly secured in operative position as illustratedin Fig.9. Extensions of different width may he provided to accommodatethe centering mechanism to logs ofvarying taper or the inserts may bemade manually adjustable by screws or otherwise to afford'more accurateadjustment-for'logs of 'difierent taper.

The mechanism for removing bark from the logs is particularlyillustrated in Figs. 1 1, Hand ldofldmaycomprise'apair' of standards 90and 9| -disp'osed one ateach end of the lathe somewhat "beyond the'latheends andto the side 'ofthe lathe on which the veneer cut-ting knife islocated. i; substantially horizontal bar 92 is supported at its ends onthe upper ends of standards -90 'and Ql and has its axis substantiallyparallel to the axis of the lathe spindles. A pair of arms 93 and 9B aresupported on the bar 92, each arm having one end thereof journalled onthe bar. At their opposite or free ends the arms 93 and -34 areconnected to a knife bar '95 by suitable flexible or pivoted joints 9%and =91. A downwardly curved knife blade 98 is secured at its ends tothe ends of the downwardly curved bar 95 and a pair-of handles Q9 and[08 extend outwardly from the ends'o'f the knifebar. Spacers 95" betweenthe bar and the knife blade reinforce this structure. "With thisarrangement, an operator may grasp "the handles 89 and we and bring theedge of the blade 8 into contact with the surface of a log turned in thelathe. As the surface of a rough or unbarked log is usually irregularand curved in shape rather than cylindrical, -a straight knife would notremove the barkwithout also removing a considerable part of the usablewood. The curved knife 98, however, can be manipulated by the handles 89and N29 to contact the log along its irregular surface in a desiredmanner, the flexible or pivoted connections 96 and 291 permittingtilting of the knife to bring any desired portion of its curved surfaceinto contact with the log. By this means, substantially all of the barkcan be removed from "the log "without aremoving any material part of thewood beneath the bark. 'The pivoting shaft 92 permits the raising orlowering of the parking mechanism so that the knife may be maintained incontact with the surface of logs mot circular in cross section.

As explained abovaas the vcneerssheetis cut from a log turned in thelathe I Lit is fedontoa conveyor which moves it away from the lathe.:Such'a'conveyor may comprise 'a'groupof parallel endless flexiblecarriers, such as the chains 11H, idiand 103 '(Fig. 1) mounted onsprockets carried "by suitable supporting shafts :in .a manner'wellknown to the art. The-chains are preferahlycon- :tinuously driven by asuitable power unitrand may extend to any desired distance from the:lathe. Asingle group of carriers may be used if desired or successivegroups, as illustratedin Fig. 1.

For discharging piecesof veneer at :the sides of theconvcyor,suitablerollers areprovided. extending lengthwise of the conveyor'hetween parallel flexible carriers. If three carriers are vused, :asillustrated, two rollers, disposed one hetweenleach outside carrier andthe center carrier, may be utilized to move veneer pieces to the sidesof the conveyor but additional :rollers may be .zadded Elf desired. Onlytwo rollers are shown and described :in this disclosure *in order to:maintain the drawing and description'as simpleas possible and areindicated at 11-04 and H15 in Fig. '14 with the-roller I114 disposedbetween carrier chains NH and H12 and roller I95 disposed between chainsHi2 and 133. The rollers Hi4 and M5 are supported by end hearings in asuitable cradle having Y-shaped end pieces, as indicated at 106. Seealso Figs..l5 and .16. As the end pieces are similar in construction andarrangement, only one .has been illustrated. 'This end piece has roller:supporting arms H21 and (53 joined to '2. depending -stem portion [89having intermediate its length an elongated slot 1113 through whichextends the end of a fixed shaft Ill extending longitudinally of thecradle. At its lower end the stem .1105 is determined side of theconveyor.

provided with a pin IIZ extending into a curved guideway H3 in a fixedcam member II4. A chain II5 has its ends connected to the lower portionof stem I06 and passes around sprockets II6,II1 and H8. The sprockets H6and H1 are relatively small and are disposed one to each side of thestem I06 above the pin II2, while the sprocket H8 is. relatively largeand disposed directly below the pin H2. The sprocket IIB is providedwith a gear I I9 having teeth which mesh with teeth on a rack bar I20,the ends of which are received in a pair of solenoids I2I and I22. Whenone of the solenoids is energized, the rack bar will be moved in thecorresponding direction and when the other is energized the rack barwill move in the opposite direction. Movement of the rack bar willrotate the sprockets i 16, which through the intermediacy of the chainH5 will swing the lower end of stem I06. The shape of cam guideway I I3is such that when pin or cam follower H2 is moved along the guidewayfrom its central position the entire cradle will be raised and at thesame time will be tilted bringing one of the rollers a small distanceabove the corresponding flexible carrier members and the other roller agreater distance above the carrier members, depending upon the directionin which the stem is moved. This raising and tilting of the rollerspositions them to discharge veneer pieces from the conveyor at aselected side of the conveyor. The rollers are driven by a reversiblemotor I23 which may conveniently be mounted on the stem I06 andconnected to the rollers by suitable chains I24 and I25. The directionof rotation of the rollers will depend upon the selection of the side ofthe conveyor at which the veneer is to be discharged.

A speed or pick up roller I26 (Fig. l) is disposed at the end of theconveyor and driven by a suitable motor I21 so that the veneer piecesmay be discharged directly from the end of the conveyor when desired.

The wiring circuit for controlling the discharge of veneer pieces isdiagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 17 in which the switch 26 controlsthe reversible motor I23 and the solenoid I2I while the switch 2Icontrols the reversible motor and the solenoid I22. When the switch 20is closed, a circuit will be made from the line wire I28, through leadI29, switch 20, leads I36 and I3I, and with wire I32 to one side of thesolenoid I2I and simultaneously through wire I32 and lead I33 to oneside of the armature of motor I23. The switch 23 is a double pole,single throw switch and also acts to complete a circuit to one side ofthe field of the reversible motor from wire I32, which is energized bythe solenoid side of the switch through lead I34 to one side of themotor field and from the other side of the motor field through lead I35,the secondary switch poles and lead I36 to wire I31. The opposite sideof the solenoid I2I and the opposite side of the motor armature areconnected to wire I31 by leads I38 and I39 respectively. Wire I31 leadsthrough trigger switch I40 and leads I4I and I42 to the opposite linewire I43. Thus when the trigger switch I40 is closed, the electriccircuit will be completed through the solenoid I2I, through the armatureof the reversible motor I23 and through the motor field in a givendirection to provide the desired direction of rotation to the motor. Atthe same time, connections through the motor ,field in the oppositedirection will be interrupted by the open switch 2I.

Thus, closing of switch 20 will cause discharge of veneer pieces to apre- When it is desired to discharge the pieces to the other side of theconveyor, switch 2I is closed, which completes a circuit to the solenoidI22 through lead I44 from line wire I28, lead I35, Wire I46, and leadI31, .and from the armature through lead :48 and trigger switch I40 backto the opposite line wire I43, thus energizing the solenoid. At the sametime, the armature of the reversible motor is energized through acircuit including lead I45, wire I46, lead I36, lead E39, wire I31 andtrigger switch I40. The motor field will be excited in the oppositedirection by a circuit including leads I44 and I45, Wire I46, lead I49,lead I50, the secondary poles of switch 2| and lead I55 to wire I31,trigger switch I40 to line wire I43. Thus, when solenoid I22 isenergized, the motor will rotate in the opposite direction from itsdirection of rotation when solenoid I2I is energized.

When it is desired to discharge the veneer pieces from the end of theconveyor, switch 22 is closed, which connects line wire I20 through theswitch and lead I52 with motor I21 and from the motor thecircuit iscompleted through lead I53 to trigger switch I40 and from this switchback to line wire I43 in the manner indicated above.

The trigger switch M3 is located at a position reached by the outer endsof the veneer pieces at which it is desired to discharge the pieces fromth conveyor and is preferably adjustable along the length of theconveyor so that the veneer pieces may be discharged at any desiredlocation within reasonable limits. To render the position of the triggerswitch adjustable, a channel member 154 (Fig. 18) is provided extendinglengthwise of the conveyor and suitably supported. This channel membercarries two spaced fiat conductors I31 and I4I secured to the channelmember but suitably insulated therefrom. At one side of the channelmember there is provided a track I55 which slidably supports a bracket:56 to which the micro switch or trigger switch I40 is attached. An armI51 extending from the switch I40 passes beneath the channel member andcarries a pair of contact springs I58 and I59 which connect theconductors I31 and. MI with the switch mechanism. By this means, thelocation of th switch can be varied along the length of the conveyor asmay be desired.

Figs; 9c; and 10a illustrate a modified angle bracket having provisionfor fine adjustment of the log contacting faces of the two brackets,disposed one adjacent each end of the log, so that spacial adjustmentmay be made for the small ends of tapered logs since with the previouslydescribed centering device only the large ends would be centered.

The modified bracket comprises a supporting portion I60 to the lower orhorizontal leg I6I of which are attached the hinges 15 and slide blocks09 for mounting the bracket on the carriage 58. This supporting portionI60 may conveniently have a U-shaped cross sectional form with a deepgroove receiving the vertical and horizontal legs of an adjustablebracket part I62. Slots as indicated at I63 and I64 in the side walls ofthe part I60 receive corresponding pins I65 and I66 which extend throughthe adjustable part I62 to guide the adjustable part relative to thesupporting part. These slots are located at an angle to the edges of thevertical and horizontal arms of the bracket, an angle of approximately45 having been found satisfactory. At its corner the supporting part I60may be provided with a bushing I61 through which extends ego-70,772

a screw shaft ifiii having on its outerend a' crank use. This screwshaft is threaded through an internally threaded bore lit in the memberI62 at the corner where the vertical and horizontal legs of. the memberare joined. Th bushing it? in shaft I68 is set at an angle ofapproximately 45 to the vertical and horizontal legs of the two bracketsso that rotation of the screw shaft will move the part H32 relative tothe part wt in a manner such that the horizontal and vertical legs ofthe member 162' will move parallel to the corresponding vertical andhorizontal legs of the member Hill. This" screw arrangement; permits afine adjustment of the member i552 relative to the member itil so thatthe brackets maybe accurately adjusted to the taper or various logs tobe centered in thelathe.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes mayh made in the above described embodiment of the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof andtherefore the inventionis not limited by that which is shown in the drawing and described inthe specification-- but only as indicated the" appended claims.

What isclaimedis:

In veneer manufacturing apparatus including a veneer cutting lathe, logcentering means for said} lath comprising spaced supports each havinglegs perpendicular to each other and angle brackets slid'ably mounted onsaid supports for movement along lines bisecting the right anglesbetween respective bracket legs, a pressure bar mounted for movementrelative to the rotational axis of said lathe, a member supporting saidspaced supports and mounted for movement relative to the axis of saidlegs, and means operati'vely connected with said pressure bar and saidmember to move them simultaneously toward and away from said axis.

2; Incombination with a-wood veneer cutting.

lathe having a pair or oppositely disposed log turning spindles, apressure bar mounted for movement in a substantially horizontaldirection toward and away from the axis of said spindles, a veneercutting knife carried by said pressure bar, and screw shafts having nutsthereon for engaging said pressure bar and moving said pres sure bar andsaid knife; log centering means for said lathe comprising screw shaftsextending downwardly from said spindle axis at an angle of approximately45 to the axis of said pressure bar moving screw shafts; a nut on eachor" said downwardly extending screw shafts; a carriage pivotall'ysupported at its ends on said nuts; curved trackways disposed oneadjacent each end of said carriage; cam followers on said carriageengaged in said trackways to tilt said carriage forwardly and downwardlyat the upper end of said trackways and upwardly and rearwardly at thelower ends of said trackways; and a pair of angle brackets carried bysaid carriag for receiving and supporting logs while said logs are beincentered in said lathe, means for simultaneously rotating said pressurebar moving screw shafts and said carriage supporting screw shafts, saidscrew shafts having relative thread pitch such as to move said pressurbar and said carriage toward and away from said spindle axis so that thedistance from the spindle axis to thg pressure bar remains equal to thedistance along lines extending from the spindle axis to the closestpoints of the vertical and horizontal legs of the angle brackets.

3; In combination with a wood veneer cutting lathe having a pair ofoppositely disposed log turning spindles, a pressure bar mounted formovement toward and away from the axis of said spindles, a knife carriedby said pressure bar and screw threaded means carried by said lathe andengaging said pressure bar; screw threaded means at the opposite side ofsaid lathe from said pressure bar inclined downwardly at an angle ofapproximately 45 to the vertical; a carriage supported by said screwthreaded means for movement toward and away from said spindle axis;guide means extending lengthwise of said carriage; blocks siidable insaid guide means"; a pair of parallel angle brackets supported by saidblocks for movement lengthwise of said carriage; and" hinge means havingtheir axes extending transversely of said carriage securing said anglebrackets to said blocks.

4-. Log centering means for a veneer cutting lathe comprising acarriagesubstantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said lathe and mountedfor movement toward and away" from said axis; a pair of angle bracketscarried by said carriage and mounted for movement lengthwise of thecarriage; and insets for said angle brackets dctachably mountable oneither angle bracket to compensate the angle. brackets for difference inthe diameters of the two ends of. a tapered log.

5; In combination with a wood veneer cutting lathe having a pair ofoppositely disposed log turning spindles, a pressure bar movable'in asubstantially horizontal direction toward and away from the axis of saidspindles, a veneer cutting knife carried by said pressure bar, and screwshafts having nuts thereon for engaging said pressure bar and carried bysaid lathe for moving said pressure bar and said knife; log centeringmeans for said lathe comprising screw shafts extending downwardly fromsaid spindle axis at an angle of approximately 45 to the axis of saidpressure bar moving screw shafts; a nut on each of said downwardlyextending screw shafts; a carriage pivotally' supported at its ends onsaid nuts; curved trackways disposed one adjacent eachend ofsaidcarriage; followers on said carriage engaged in said trackways totilt said carriage forwardly and downwardly at the upper end of saidtrackways and upwardly and rearwardly at the lower ends of said trackways; and a pair of angle brackets carried by said carriage forreceiving and supporting logs while said logs are being centered in saidlathe, means for simultaneously rotating said pressure bar moving screwshafts and said carriage supporting screw shafts to move said pressurebar and said carriage toward and away from said spindle axis; and insetsfor said angle brackets detachably' mountable on either angle bracket tocompensate the angle brackets for diiT-erence in the diameters of thetwo ends of a tapered log.

6. Log centering means for a veneer cutting lathe comprising, a carriagemovable toward and away from the axis of rotation of said lathe; a pairof angle brackets carried by said carriage for movement lengthwise ofthe carriage; and adjustable insets for said angle brackets tocomp'ensate the angle brackets for dilierencein diamet'er of the twoends of a tapered log.

'7. Log centering means for a veneer cutting lathe comprising a carriagemovable toward and away from the axis of rotation of saidlathe; anglebrackets carried by said carriage each com-- prising a supporting partmounted on said carridge, a log contacting part adjustably carried bysaid supporting part, and means operatively connected between said partsfor adjusting said log contacting part relative to said supporting parttoward and away from said axis.

8. A centering device for a lathe having a horizontal axis comprising apair of screw shafts extending downwardly and rearwardly from the latheaxis, nuts mounted on said screw shafts, means to rotate the screwshafts for moving the nuts toward and away from the lathe axis, acarriage pivotally mounted on said nuts, angle members having the legsthereof diverging toward said axis mounted on said carriage, trackshaving a central portion arranged in parallel relation to said screwshafts and having a forward portion adjacent the lathe axis extendingdownwardly from the lathe axis and the central portion and having alower portion extending rearwardly, means on the carriage spaced fromthe pivotal mounting thereof engaging said track so that said carriagewill move toward and away from the axis of the lathe when said means isin engagement with the central portion of the track and tilting saidcarriage downwardly when said means is in said forward end portion ofthe track and tilting said carriage in the opposite direction when saidmeans is in the rearward end portion of the track whereby a log may bereceived on the carriage and the angle members be moved out of the wayduring part of a turning operation.

DAVID E. HERVEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 412,553 Smith Oct. 8, 1889 832,519 Wood Oct. 2, 1906 843,519Crane Feb. 5, 1907 887,075 Dittbenner May 12, 1908 1,473,545 CollierNov. 6, 1923 1,523,786 Merritt Jan. 20, 1925 1,646,115 Sjostrom Oct. 18,1927 1,670,657 Friede May 22, 1928 1,686,640 Pierce, Jr. Oct. 9, 19281,841,544 Merritt Jan. 19, 1 82 1,841,854 Stanley Jan. 19, 19321,855,577 Kirkwood Apr. 26, 1932 2,328,545 Burkowsky Sept. 7, 19432,352,885 Burkowsky July 4, 1944

